Therefore, remove vexation (sorrow and anger) from your heart and put away pain from your body, for childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.
Ecclesiastes 11:10 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Lately I have been noticing my reactions to the little annoyances of life getting out of hand. This awareness caused alarm bells to go off inside and I realized I needed some deeper introspection. What I discovered was what I would identify as “vexation” in my heart and ultimately in my soul.
The word vexation came to my attention during a study with Darryl in Ecclesiastes. You know how some words actually capture the literal feeling of an experience. I think it is a perfect word to describe not just a few moments of lack of patience but instead an ongoing state of being annoyed and frustrated!
When I retrieved the verse, I found Solomon had a very good reason for directing me to strip away vexation from my heart and soul. He says that life is so fleeting why waste time brooding over the irritations?
When I asked God for guidance, I realized I was holding on to intrusions, offenses, and stumbles of people around me and it was marring my fellowship with them and with God. With Darryl’s significant transition from president to chancellor of Phoenix Seminary looming over our lives for months and with the business and frivolity of the holidays, I had not been vigilant enough.
Lingering unhappy memories surfaced which had slipped under the radar into my heart. There they remained, vexing my soul, waiting to be confessed and cleansed, however, I had not been paying attention. I know the Bible teaches that I cannot be right with God and have a wrong attitude toward others. Therefore, I have a responsibility to remove—even tear away—vexation from my heart and soul.
Oh! Lord, give me grace to forsake what has been plaguing me. Clear away the debris and help me appreciate once more Your simple truths and gifts which are my pleasant portion forever. Amen.
*“Simplicity should mark the elderly, and not merely because memory lapses into the familiar, repetitive grooves, but because the pilgrim has at long last learned to travel light. He has learned to live by simple truths and simple gifts.”
*William May, The Patient’s Ordeal, p. 134, quoted in Pinches, “The Virtues of Aging,” p. 210.